The rants and ramblings of a Republitarian. Expect the free market and strict Constitutionalism.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Tasers are scary to some

Some people are upset about the new taser design being marketed to civilians. As they always are when anything makes it easier for citizens to provide for their own defense.

But the new, lighter, brighter designer version, which was launched in late Julywith a price tag of around $350, is small enough to tuck into a purse andpacks the same paralyzing punch.

It can be put into a purse? Imagine if there were other weapons that could fit into a purse...a company that made a gun that one could carry daily would make a fortune!!

Amnesty International also is opposed, saying it can pose "serious harm" forwomen.

Yep, like an ability to defend themselves from would-be attackers without carrying a firearm. Wait...let me look at that again...they said "harm," didn't they? Must be a typo.

"If a police officer or a civilian is stunned with a Taser there are a wholearray of things that can happen and most of them are very bad," said Jim Pasco,executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police in Washington, D.C.

Yeah, all sorts of things. Muggers might lose their source of income. Rapists might not ever be sexually fulfilled. Cops might not be the only ones with access to incapacitating gadgets. Yes, a taser could be misused. But so can anything. Let's change his statement: "If a police officer or civilian is run over by a car, there are a whole array of things that can happen and most of them are bad." Sorry, Jimbo, but your argument just doesn't seem to hold water.

Pasco, whose group represents 325,000 police officials nationwide, said theimmobilizing devices should be limited to well-trained law enforcementprofessionals.

I could make a snarky comment about finding a well-trained cop, but I'll refrain. The idea that civilians can't handle the tools of cops is an oft-repeated one, and a way to attempt to give police complete control over a nation of submissive folks. Of course, with the way cops lose important equipment from time to time, it's bound to be in worse hands than those of law-abiding citizens.

"There's a tremendous amount of respect and accountability that goes along witha police officer using a Taser," he said. "This Taser is no more regulated thana hair drier."

It looks like a decent tool for self-defense, though it has half the range of police models, and the price is a bit higher than I'd pay. Hell, with a little shopping around, you can get a pretty good handgun for that price. But the elitist "only ones" would much rather you just submit.